Pittsburgh agency honors Frazier schools
PERRYOPOLIS – The Frazier School District is continuing to maintain its model school reputation, this time being recognized by a Pittsburgh agency for significantly outperforming its peers in fifth grade reading and math. The Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD) gave Central and Perry Elementary schools an “A” in reading and math for scoring 15 percent above similar schools in the state in each subject.
The grade is reflected in the agency’s 2004 Report on 5th Grade Proficiency in Reading and Math for Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Dr. Frederick Smeigh, superintendent, said this is the first year Frazier received an “A” in both categories opposed to having some “B’s” last year.
According to Murry Gerber, chairman of ACCD’s education goal committee, the agency established a visionary goal in 2000 for the southwestern Pennsylvania region that every 10-year-old should be proficient in reading, writing and mathematics.
Frazier’s distinction as model school began in 2003 after it was selected by the International Center for Leadership in Education for achieving the fastest growth with state funding that it used to purchase education materials.
As a result of Frazier’s achievement on the Pennsylvania State System of Assessment (PSSA), the SAT and Advanced Placement programs, the district has been recognized for the last few years on both a state and national level, including earning the Eberly Education Award for Academic Excellence for two consecutive years.
Smeigh attributed the district’s success to a number of education strategies being used, including an exemplary mathematics program implemented in 2000. “There’s no one magic bullet, it’s a combination of things,” said Smeigh.
In order to attract new jobs and new residents to the area, Gerber said the ACCD believes the region’s schools must insure that every child enters the workforce proficient in basic skills. “The quality of public education is one of the most critical resources for the future of our children and the region’s economic viability,” said Gerber.
The ACCD annually measures the region’s progress toward this goal by producing a report on the 365 public schools that educate fifth graders in the 10-county southwestern region and Mercer County.
This year’s recognition was based on the PSSA test administered in 2004 to fifth-grade students in reading and math. “It provides a snapshot of each school’s performance and a comparison with other schools in our region,” Gerber added.
The data, said Gerber, is also intended to raise citizens’ expectations for improved performance, keep school boards focused on their most important responsibility (academic performance) and be a tool that superintendents can use to garner community support when changes are needed.
In addition to schools with 90-percent proficiency in reading and math and schools that outperformed their peers, Gerber said schools receiving an “A” in both subjects that had at least a 10-percentage point gain each year since 2002 were given special recognition.
According to the report, Central’s scores in reading increased by 11 points from 2002-2004 and by six points in math while Perry’s scores were up by 22 points and 25 points respectively.
Other fifth-grade schools in Fayette County that earned an “A” from the ACCD included A.L. Wilson and Smithfield elementary schools in Albert Gallatin School District and Marclay and Wharton elementary schools in Uniontown Area School District.